Press



' July 25, 1933.

PRESS Filed June 17, 1932 ATTIUR Y5 J. N. V-ILLANO 1,919,815-

Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES JAMES uviLLAuo, or sYRAcUsE, NEW YORK PRESS Application filed Ju e 17,

V iIWOIltiQH relates to an improved fruit and vegetable press toriamily use in expressing juices and liquids from various kinds of fruits and vegetables,such for e2;-

5 ample, as grapes, berries, oranges, grape fruit, lemons, and. other juice. containing materials from which is desired to recover thejuices separately from the solids. Presses of this character are generally used only for short intervals during each year orduring the ripening season of the fruits and vegetables which necessitatesthe storing of e press during the remaining or greater portion of the year, and one oi? the objects is to provide a knock-down press in whichthe various elements or units may be easily and quickly taken'apart and thoroughly cleansed throughout their entire surfaces and then stored in relatively small gompact space until the time comes for reuse when the parts may be quickly reassembled witllqut special tools. p i i It is well-knownthat the beds of presses of this kindagainst which the materials are pressed are subjected toinore severe strains and wear and, tl ere;tore, require m1 re frequent ,repairs or replacements than other parts. v

Thisis particularly true ofbeds which are made of wood or equivalent fibrous material which, ijn addition to their susceptibility to v\vear and disintegration after a relatively isllOlfl) period of use, tend to absorband retain considerable portions of the expressed after-the press has been used to express the juicesot one kinder fruit and then reused for expressing the ,juices'of an entirely different kind of truitor Vegetable, the latter would be more or less tainted or impreg 'nated withthe flavors of the previously ex pressed juices which may have been a'bsqrbed "by the 'woodor fibre.

Qne 'ofth'e principaliobjects of the present invention isto provide a concrete bed which'ma y bethoroughly cleansed from pre' vious juices and fiavors so that when rei'isedtorexpressing the juices of other fruits or vegetables the'bed wi'llnot be appreciably juices particularly their flavors, so that i the concrete bed.

so as to preclude as far as, possible itssatl enable the pressto be used forexpressing 19.32. Serial-No. 617,727.

impregnated with the flavors of the vpreviously expressed juices. r I Another object is tofconstruct the receptacle for receiving the material pressed in thefcrmot a cylinder composed of a mul- .5 tiplicity' of similar parallel upright slats bound together by one or more split bands locked together bya removable key or rod in'such manner that when the locking key is removed the entire series of slatswith tl e band or bands attached thereto may be unfolded. in a substantially flat planeso as te permit all parts of the slats and'bands to be thoroughly cleansed from foreign matter. Another object is to construct and assemble the various parts of thepress in such manner that an ordinary screw ack may ,be

used as the means for compressing themate rial in the receptacle through the medium of a suitable pressure plate or follower.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the apparatus will be brought out in the following description. f

In the drawing Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations ofmy improved press at right angles to each other, portions of the bed in Figure 1 being shown in section, the supporting {legs for the bed in both views, being partly broken away. I

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sec-' 5 tional View taken in the plane of line 3 3, Figure 2. H

Figure 4 sectional View; taken in the plane ot'line 44l, Figure 2, showing more "particularly the manner of attaching one of the legs to As illustrated, this press comprises a hori- 'zontal bed 1 of concrete, such as sand,

cement and fine gravel proportioned in such manner as to produce a closelyknit homogeneousaggregate with a minimum porosity uration with the expressed juices and thereby to reduce the liability or retention of the flavors of 'said juices; for ,any' appreciable period of time,the object being to is an enlarged detail vertical the juices of widely different fruits or vegetable without liability of transmission of ihe flavors of one juice to another from the This-concrete bed is preferably polygonal but symmetrical in top plan and is provided in its upper side with a substantially annular trough 2 extending entirely around the vertical axis of the'bed and preferably inclined downwardly from one side toward its diametrically opposite side where it is provided with an outlet 3 as shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 3. i

This trough is arranged some distance within the marginal edges of the bed except at the outlet '3 where the bed is projected outwardly to form a nozzle 4 through which the outlet-is continued, to allow the liquid to be precipitated therefrom into an underlying receptacle, not shown.

The concrete bed 1 is preferably supported upon a plurality of, in this instance four, legs -5 arranged uniform distances apart about the vertical axis of the bed in downwardly diverging angles, the upper ends of said legs being threaded and engaged with internally threaded metal sockets -6- which are imbedded in the concrete during the process of moulding so as to becomepermanent parts thereof, the object being to allow the legs to be removed by unscrewing the same from the sockets when it is desired to disassemble the variout units of the press.

The portion of the upper side of the bed within the trough -2 is preferably circular and disposed in a horizontal plane slightly below that of the upper surface of the marginal edges of the bed and also slightly above the bottom of the groove 2 for receiving and supporting a receptacle -7' for the material to be pressed.

The legs 5 are preferably formed of wrought iron pipe or equivalent material capable of being threaded and screwed into the sockets to firmly support the bed 1 in a horizontal plane.

The bed l is provided with a pair of wrou 'ht iron or e uivalent reinforcin rodsv O D or bars 8 imbedded therein some distance below the upper surface thereof during the processof moulding said bed and are preferably arranged in the same horizontal plane and in parallel relation equal distances from and at opposite sides of the Vertical axis of the bed and at right angles to the longitudinal center of the nozzle These reinforcing rods extend outwardly "equal distances beyond opposite sides of the receiving and supporting at their upper ends a cross beam -10, shown more clearly in Figures 1 and 2.

These frames 9 are arranged in parallel spaced relation vertically at diametrically opposite sides of the bed 1 and each frame is preferably formed from a single rod of wrought iron or equivalent material bent into the form of an inverted U and having its opposite legs as 9- diverging downwardly from the upper cross bar 9, the lower end of each of the arms -9- being returned upwardly upon itself to form an eye 10- which is loosely fitted over and upon its corresponding trunnion 8-, the upper ends of the return bends being fastened to the corresponding arm by wire clamps -1l or equivalent fastening means, and 2.

The concrete bed 1 is also provided with a pair of diametrically opposite anchor bolts l2imbedded therein during as shown in Figures 1.

the process of moulding and having their outer ends extended some distance beyond and midway between the lower ends of the upright frames 9 for receiving a clamping plate 13 and nuts 141.

The clamping plates l3 extend hori- ...t

zontally equal distances from their respective bolts -l2 across the outer faces of the adjacent. portions of the frames 9- with their lower edges resting upon the upper faces of the trunnions -8 where they t are clamped in position by the tightening of the nuts 14 to hold the lower ends of the frames 9 against accidental displacement from their respective trunnions S-,

the object of engaging the opposite ends of the plates -13 with the upper faces of the corresponding trunnions 8 being to prevent turning of said plate when tightening or loosening the adjacent nuts 14.

As previously stated, the receptacle 7- i is cylindrical and is arranged with its lower end loosely resting upon the upper surface of the central depressed portion of the bed 1 just at the inside of the trough -2 and is preferably composed of a series of.

upright slats 7 arranged in uniformly spaced relation circumferentially around the vertical. axis of the bed and preferably bound together by a plurality of, in this instance two, split metal bands 15, the

latter being arranged in vertically spaced parallel relation between the lower and upper ends of the slats.

These slats are permanently secured by bolts -16 or equivalent fastening means to the inner faces of the bands 15 which are sufficiently flexible to enable them with the slats thereon to be unfolded to a substantially flat plane to enable the entire receptacle to be thoroughly cleansed inside and outside and stored in compact space when desired or when removed from the bed --.-1--, i V

The ends of each band 15 are provided with clamping members 17 hav- 1 erably parallel for receiving and supporting the adjacent ends of the cross beam -10 which latter extends diametrically across the upper end of the receptacle 7 some distance above the same and is provided near. its opposite ends with grooves -20 for receiving the upper parallel portions of the arms 9 which are tightly pressed into the grooves 20 to hold the cross beam- -10- in operative position.

That is the arms 9 of the frames 9 are normally tensioned to spring outwardly away fromi each other when disengaged: from their respective trunnions -8', but when engaged with said trunnions the" pressure incidental to springing the arms toward each other tends to hold the beam +10 against downward movement.

The means for pressing'the materials as -6;- within the receptacle -7, for expressing the' liquid or-juices from said material preferably comprises a circular press head or follower 22'v and aconventional screwjack 23-',1the press head .2'2 being of slightly less diameter than the interior of the receptacle -7-'- so as to pass freely into said receptacle. from the tapdownwardlym 1 1 I WVhenthereceptacle 'Z is filled with the material to be pressed the'follower -22 is placed'on the upper surface thereof. after which the jack -23-'. .is placed upon the follower with its upper end directly beneaththe lower face of the crossbeam: whereupon the screw of the jack 23 maybe turned by means of a handle 24' to bring thehead of the jack against the underside of the cross. beam '10 andthenas the turning of the screw of the jackis continued by means of the handle -24r, the lower portion of the jack and follower -22- engaged thereby will be forced downwardly onto the material to press the same .within the receptacle -7 for expressing the liquid therefrom.

The juices or other liquid thus expressed will pass outwardly through the spaces between the slats 7." or downwardly upon the upper surface of the bed -1 to enter ,tirely expelled from the material.

opposite arms -9 of each of the frames -9 are prefthe trough. -2- and thence to pass out through the outlet 3 into an'underlying receptacle, not shown, this pressing operat on being continued until the-juices are en'- peration When the variousparts of the apparatus are assembled in themanner described,-the material from..which the u1ces or liqulds are to be expressed are placed within the receptacle- 7 to rest upon the upper face of the central depressed portion of the bed -1'- at the inside of the groove -2- after which the press head or follower 22 is placed upon the upper surface of thematerial, followed'by theplacing of the screw jack 23-+ upon the press head with its upper end directly under the central portion of the cross beam I10.'

Y Thescrew of the jack 23 may then be turned in the proper direction-to engage its upper end with the underside of the cross beam, thereby forcing the press head -22- downwardly into thereCeptacle for compressing the material and expelling the liquid. therefrom, said liquid collectingfin the trough 2 from which is conducted by gravity to the outlet --3 and intoan underlying receptacle, not shown! When the press is not in use; -23 and press head 22 may be removed and set aside after which the locking bolt or key -19'n1aybe'withdrawn upwardly from the bands -Y-V, thus permitting the bands with the slats thereon to the as be opened and removed from the top of the bedv1 whereupon the material which has been previously compressed lnay readily be removed from the bed and conveyed to any repository.

When the receptacle 7 is-ireinoved from the bedit may be unfoldedlto a substantially flat position to enable all parts thereof to be thoroughly cleansed *after which it may be placed flatwise in compact space in any convenient place of storagegfl The clampingplates 13-- may then be withdrawn from the outerends of the bolts 1 2 by simply loosening the nuts --14 and thus permitting the lower ends of the.

frames 9 to be withdrawn from their respective (summons -8. j

The opposite arms -9 of the frames 9 may then be spread apart to release the cross beam 10- therefrom, thus permitting the frames and cross beam to be placed flatwise one upon the other in relatively sinallcompact space. I 1

The legsv 5 may then be unscrewed from. .the respective sockets '--6. and also stored side by side in compact space.

It is now evident that when all of the parts orunits aredis-assembled they may be placed within a relatively small compact space for storage, it being understood that prior to such storage the bed 1' and other parts of the apparatus will be 'thoroughly cleansed ready for, reuse when needed. I

When assembling the parts of the apparatus, the legs 5- will first be screwed into their respective sockets 6 whereupon the bed may be supported upon a floor in a substantially horizontal position.

The receptacle 7- may then be folded to its cylindrical form and the ends of the bands 15 locked to each other by means of the pin or locking rod 19 after which thereceptacle may be placed in an upright position upon the upper surface of the bed at the inside of the groove 2. r

The cross beam 10 may then be placed in operative position in the upper ends of the frames -9 after which the latter may be mounted upon the trunnions -8- and clamped in place by means of the plates l3 and nuts 14:, it being understood that when the frames are placed upon the trunnions 8 the opposite arms of each frame will be drawn towardeach' other to engage said trunnions, thereby compressing the upper ends of saidv arms firmly against opposite faces of the beam 10 to hold the latter in operative position upon the frames. v 1

The receptacle -7 may then be filled with the material to be pressed followed by the placing of the press-head -22 upon the top of the material and then placing the screw jack -2? upon the press head with its upper end directly under the central portion of the cross beam 10 so that the turning of the screw in one direction will force the press-head 2Q- downwardly into the receptacle 7 for compressing the material therein. 7 j

It will be observed that when the headof the jack screw -23- is unscrewed to engage the lower face of the beam -10- it will have a tendency to turn said beam together with its supporting frames 9 in the same direction about the axis of the screw, and in order to avoid this, suitable stop shoulders 25 and 25 are imbedded in the concrete base 1- to extend outwardly from opposite sides thereof across the front and rear edges of the front arms -9' of the opposite frames 9 directly above the clamping plates -l3 and, therefore, some distance above the trunnions 8 as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

If desired, a tubular metal socket 26- may be imbedded in the concrete bed 1 between the outlet '23 of the trough -7- with its upper end open for receiving "he handle 2lor locking pin 19 1 when not in use.

'The construction and operation of the machine is believed to have been fully shown and described, but obviously various changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention.

WVhatI claim is:

1. A fruit press comprising a concrete base, trunnions imbedded in and projecting outwardly from the base, a receptacle resting on the base, upright framesmounted onthe trunnions and extending upwardly therefromsome distanceabove. the receptacle, a cross beam mounted 011 the frames across the top of the receptacle, a press head mov able in the receptacle, a screw jack between the head and cross beam for forcing the head downwardly, bolts anchored in the bed, and clamping plates engaged with the outer faces of the frames and'secnred in place by said bolts for holding the frames against axial displacement from the trunnions.

2. In a fruit press of the character described, a concrete bed having trunnions imbedded therein and protruding fromopposite sidesthereof, a receptacle for the material to be pressed mounted on the upper face of the bed between said trunnions, upright frames mounted on the trunnions and extending upwardly therefrom above the receptacle, "a cross beam mounted onthe upper ends of the frames, means engaging the undersideof the beam for compressing the material in the receptacle, and releasable means for holding the frames on the trunnions against axial displacement-therefrom.

3. In a fruit press of the character described, a concrete bed having trunnions imbedded therein and protruding from opposite sides thereof, a receptacle for the material to be pressed mounted on the upper face of the bed between said trunnions, upright frames mounted onthe trunnions and extended upwardly therefrom above the receptacle, a cross beam mounted on the upper ends of the frames, means engaging the underside of the beam for compressing the ma terial in the receptacle, each of said frames being made inthe form of an inverted U, the upper ends of opposite arms of said frames being engaged in grooves in the beam, said beam being engaged with the underside of the upper closed ends of the frames.

JAMES N. VILLANO. 

